"Fingerease" and new rosewood?

[Murph]

Any down side?

 

I got hooked on it after I swapped off my 72 Paul, used it on my ebony SG, and maple Fenders, but just bought my ES 339, and was thinking.........

 

I'm a bar gigger, and use it quite a bit.

 

Opinions?

 

Thanks.

 

Murph.

[Mark]

Not that I know of, I use it once or twice a week, no residue that I can see or feel

[MikeRom]

Seems like it would gunk up the fretboard eventually. What does this stuff do for you?

[saturn]

I use it every now and then and have never noticed a problem.

[Old Deadhead]

I've been using it for years without any problems I can see.

[jnstrom]

Goin out to buy some today. Sounds like it might be good for some quick playing.

[Zaphod B]

I used to hose my fretboards down regularly with that stuff, on both a mid-'70s SG and a late '60s ES-335. It never seemed to have any ill effect on the rosewood. The wood can only absorb so much, the rest just gets wiped off.

 

That said, I think most luthiers recommend lemon oil for oiling fretboards, and you can lubricate your strings by spraying some of whatever - Fingerease, WD-40 - onto the corner of a thin rag and wrap that around the strings and wipe them down.

 

One other thing: any kind of lubricant will cause the wound strings to accumulate grime faster than if you wipe them down dry (in my experience).

[Manimal]

I just bought the stuff and I think its miraculous!!! BUT a lot of overspray got on my hardwood floor rendering it slippery as hell!!!! I almost flipped back onto my head LOL!!!

[Mark]

Overspray?....... The stuff I use comes on a cloth attached to a piece of wood that you rub on. Maybe I am not using the

right stuff or they make two versions.

[Mark]

Yea...The stuff I use is called Fast-Fret...... Sorry

[tonebias]

Fast Fret, Finger Ease, it's all just a mineral oil. I would not recommend WD-40 as I think it's petrol based and may have an effect on skin, it does on me anyway. Mineral oil will not hurt your fret board. I like to use lemon oil (with NO SILICONE) on the fret board when the strings are off and I use fast fret on the strings.

[Thundergod]

Why do people use those products on strings? Can anyone elaborate on the subject? I read that in lots of places but have never tried it. (I must ad that I change strings twice a month for the 2 guitars I use most, the others are kept in their cases and I dont play them so I dont change their strings till I have played them some).

[tonebias]

I use it occasionally, it really does provide a slick playabiity for an hour or so. It's suppose to make the strings last longer, I don't care about that, it just feels a little different when playing. Kind of slippery and fast.

[VA_siCkBoy]

I've been using Fast-Fret for many years and have never experienced any problems. I use it on ebony, maple and rosewood with no discoloration or gunk. Just remember to always wipe off the excess.

[Zaphod B]

Fast Fret' date=' Finger Ease, it's all just a mineral oil. I would not recommend WD-40 as I think it's petrol based and may have an effect on skin, it does on me anyway. Mineral oil will not hurt your fret board. I like to use lemon oil (with NO SILICONE) on the fret board when the strings are off and I use fast fret on the strings.[/quote']

WD-40 is OK as long as it touches nothing but the strings. I have an elevated sensitivity to petroleum-based products and chemicals in general, but the amount of residue left on guitar strings from wiping them down with WD-40 is so negligible that it has never bothered me.

 

That said, there are more suitable products to use but WD-40 can be used in a pinch. Not to be sprayed, of course, but applied sparingly with a cloth.

[Mark]

Why do people use those products on strings? Can anyone elaborate on the subject? I read that in lots of places but have never tried it. (I must ad that I change strings twice a month for the 2 guitars I use most' date=' the others are kept in their cases and I dont play them so I dont change their strings till I have played them some).[/quote']

 

I work with my hands most days on the job, they get very dry and here in the midwest our winters

can really dry things out because of the dry heat our homes have.

In my opinion those products help me move up and down the neck faster, thats all

They also clean my strings when I get to lazy to change them.

 

Hey for a few bucks its worth a try. it won't ruin your equipment

[tonebias]

WD-40 is 50% paint thinner and some other patrol based products and only has just a little lubricant, paint thinner makes my hand break out when I have it on a rag. It only has just a very little mineral oil in it. It's made as a water displacer (WD). I can imagine what it would do to the finish on a guitar by way of someone's fingers.

[Zaphod B]

WD-40 is 50% paint thinner and some other patrol based products and only has just a little lubricant' date=' paint thinner makes my hand break out when I have it on a rag. It only has just a very little mineral oil in it. It's made as a water displacer (WD). I can imagine what it would do to the finish on a guitar by way of someone's fingers. [/quote']

Been using it for years off and on, to no ill effect. Again, the amount involved is so minor.....I don't actually leave the strings wet with it anyway, I just use it to help clean the grunge off the strings and wipe 'em dry.

 

So perhaps I should clarify my recommendation for using it as a string cleaner, not a lubricant. (It evaporates too fast to be a decent lubricant anyhow.)

 

Edit: Lemon oil for furniture is chock full of petroleum distillates, too, yet it is what is generally recommended for fingerboard treatment. I've never seen any concern about it harming any kind of guitar finish. FingerEase is full of them, too.

[Mark]

WD-40 is a magnet for dirt. Try a grafite lubricant/cleaner

[Zaphod B]

WD-40 is a magnet for dirt. Try a grafite lubricant/cleaner

Yep. So is FingerEase, or any other similar product.

 

The only time I use any of 'em is toward the end of a set's life, when the strings are starting to get a little corrosion on the surface.

[knuckles]

WD-40 is bad for instruments. If you ever need future repair work the wd-40 will cause problems especially with glue/inlays. Naptha lightly wiped on to clean the fretboard and mineral oil sparingly applied after to condition it.

[Mark]

WD-40 is bad for instruments. If you ever need future repair work the wd-40 will cause problems especially with glue/inlays. Naptha lightly wiped on to clean the fretboard and mineral oil sparingly applied after to condition it.

 

 

Agreed, I would never put WD-40 on any of my instruments. If I could only stop my wife from

using my Naptha for cleaning paint brushes

[Zaphod B]

I'll say this one more time. WD-40 will not hurt your instrument if it is used on the strings only and not sprayed near the instrument. If it doesn't contact the finish it cannot hurt it. Simple enough.

 

As I said before, I have been using it this way for years - occasionally, sparingly, and on the strings only, on all my guitars with a variety of finishes. I have never observed any adverse effect on any part of the instrument.

 

I know a couple of luthiers on another board - I'll get their input as to whether it would even harm the finish.

[tonebias]

It's your guitar man... You can put anything you want on it.